Chhina flays state government for ‘manhandling’ teachers

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, February 11

BJP leader Rajinder Mohan Singh Chhina on Monday slammed the Congress government for cane-charging the protesting teachers in Patiala on Sunday. He called the use of the force as highly “unjustified” as the teachers were protesting peacefully in support of their demands.

“The teachers are not being regularised and their demands are being subjugated with force. Earlier, the teachers were getting good salaries, but now those had been reduced,” said Chhina in a statement issued here.

He said the protesting teachers were brutally beaten up by the police. “The Congress government in the state has been trying to suppress the voice of the common man with lathicharge and water cannons,” he said.

He urged the state government to review the Cabinet decision keeping in view the financial difficulty which these employees are going to face.

“These teachers have been serving in SSA, RMSA, Model and Adarsh schools for a long time. They were drawing a regular salary of Rs 40,000 to 45,000 per month. Keeping in view their length of service, they are supposed to be regularised with protection of their last drawn salary,” he added.